Interviews

Mercenaries - The Director Speaks

GameSpy: Are there benefits to using one character over another one? Does the ending change for each one?

Cameron Brown: The ending doesn't change on account of which character you play, but it does change depending on your actions. I don't want to give things away, but I will say that you best be on your toes during the finale.

Each character has a specialty that makes them suited for a particular playing style. Jacobs has body armor, which allows him to absorb a little more punishment (especially splash damage) than the others. He's good if you're a really aggressive player. Mui has a stealth advantage. Our A.I. has audio and visual perception, and Mui is effectively less visible/audible to the A.I. So she's great if you like a more indirect approach. Nilsson has a speed advantage. It's not huge, but it's enough to give players who like to test their reflexes a bit of an edge.

GameSpy: Is there a preferred weapon for most people on the team, or does it vary from person to person?

Cameron Brown: I think it really varies. Some people like the sniper rifle, or the anti-armor rifle (a sniper rifle that shoots through cars). Others go for the RPG launcher, or the shoulder mounted AA launcher. There's a covert SMG that's pretty fun. Or the shotgun. Probably the most "creative" weapon is the placed charges, which are physics objects that can be detonated at will. The testers had a lot of fun with those.

GameSpy: One of the coolest aspects of the game is the ability to call in airstrikes. How did you ensure that these wouldn't be too overwhelmingly powerful?

Cameron Brown: Two ways. First, airstrikes cost money. The powerful airstrikes cost a lot of money. Now, you can earn boatloads of cash, but if you try to solve every problem with a fuel-air bomb you're going to max out that ExOps credit card before you know it.

Second, you have to work with the various factions to gain access to the more powerful stuff. There's a process -- if you work with the Chinese, for example, you get more and more powerful armored vehicles to use. You have to work with the Allies to get the most powerful air support.

GameSpy: Is all of the technology in the game based on stuff that's used in the real world, or is some of it made up?

Cameron Brown: It's all real world. The stuff that's out there is crazy enough, without us having to make it up.

GameSpy: It seems like this type of action can work well in a variety of settings. Are there any plans to create a series of games set in different cities?

Cameron Brown: Hmm, what a great idea! All I'm going to say is that we're nowhere near out of ideas for cool Mercenaries gameplay.